Tim Jackman also poised to return

 While Jack Hillen's return comes quicker than expected, Tim Jackman's injury has been the opposite. 

Jackman is poised to come back more than two months after suffering a broken orbital bone after being punched in the eye by Ottawa's Matt Carkner December 31.

Although a broken orbital is a pretty severe injury--often requiring surgery and a couple of months to recover--Jackman's didn't look much worse for the wear after the "fight" (I'm using quotations because Carkner's sucker punch did not really give Jackman the chance to fight back).

That has been the most aggravating part of the whole ideal for Jackman, who felt fine soon afterwards but had to heed medical advice and take necessary precautions.

"It's been frustrating, the timetable, because I felt fine, I had no marks, but it's your eyesight so you've got to be careful," Jackman said after practice Thursday.

After the blow and subsequent diagnosis, Jackman had to completely abstain from physical activity for three weeks. He could not even ride a stationary bike or lift anything heavier than 10-15 pounds because doctors were concerned about pressure building up and potentially damaging his eye.

Jackman has since worked diligently to get back to peak physical condition and said he won't be tentative to bring the physical edge that defines his game when he returns.

"I'm not going to be gun shy," Jackman said of dropping the gloves in the future. "It didn't even hurt, he didn't even hit me that hard, he just hit me in a spot that you have to be careful about. I've been in a lot of fights, so I'm not going to worry about getting hurt like that again."

Jackman, whose personal preference is to play visor-free, will be wearing a full shield as per the advice of the team's medical staff. This will be an adjustment for Jackman, who previously opted not to wear one for the clarity of vision and also so he could fight without taking off his helmet. Luckily, however, this is a precautionary step he will only have to adhere to for the rest of the season, not his entire career.

And if the protective plastic device enables Jackman to finally halt his two-month absence from play, he'll gladly wear it.

"I'm really excited," Jackman said. "Hopefully we can go on a tear."